EGG STAGE





  A salmons lifecycle begins with the female salmon digging out a shallow nest in the gravel underwater most likeley the bottom of a river so the female may lay her peachy-orange colored eggs.The eggs are extremeley fragile and tender.The eggs get covered by a thin layer of gravel providing some protection.That is  my description of  the beginning of the salmon life cycle.Salmon eggssurvive well when the water theyre in is nice and clear cool water.They also live well with trees and plants lining along the river to provide shade for the salmon eggs so they dont over-heat.The plants and trees provide some protetcion for the eggs and keep the water a cool comfortable temprature.cool enough for the eggs and possibly other wildlife.Nests are extremeley fragile and can easily crushed or destroyed withoue anyone or anything knowing it.People hiking or fishing could become a uhge threat for the eggs by accidentaly crushing them or washing them away by walking in the water.Animals such as wild mammals or other animal such as large birds or mayby a hikers dog could be a threat to.When the animals swim near the eggs thay could possiblystep on th nest or create a small current therefor washing the fragile little eggs far from theyre nests.







                                                                               ALEVIN



The eggs the salmno lay during the wintertime hatch in the upcoming spring.The small fish are about one inch long or possibly more or les. The alevin have something called a yolksack attatched to their underbelly. The alevin live on this "lunchbag" type source for a month or so.The yolksack that is attatched to the young alevin contains minerals, vitamins, and protien the alevin ive on that for a month or so before the young alevin begin to emerge from the gravel to hunt for their own food (bugs and small plants etc.)Salmon face many dangers throughout their entire lives from eggs to the spawning adults they suffer threats from gulls dippers and sculpins and even trout all feed upon the young alevin.







                                                                         FRY



The young salmon fry begin to move into the rivers often feeding on small zoo plankton unti they grow large enough to eat insects or larger foods



some of the other salmon species such as parr and pink start       downstream.The loss of  habitat along the rims of streams, rivers, estuaries, and bays is one of the worst dangers to the salmon's survival. Salmon need cool water, bugs to feed on, and woody stuff to hide under. Habitat along the rivers provide shade which helps keep the water temperature nice and cool for the salmon throughout the year. Cool, clear water holds lots of oxygen that the salmon also needto live. Logs, branches, and sticks that fall or hang into the rivers give salmon places to hide and have food for insects and plants that alot of  the salmon feed upon. The roots of trees and bushes also help hold dirt and rocks in place on the bank.Although the logging rules have been changed to protect habitat, previous logging practices have caused some problems. Sometimes little growth was left beside streams and rivers. This resulted in higher water temperatures and increased sediment runoff. Also, without bushes, trees, or woody debris, fish had no more places to hide and less food to eat. Construction of logging roads also contributed to landslides and sediment runoff.











                                                                SMOLT





As the smolt being to migrate twoards the ocean they will begin a process called smoltification.Smoltification process referres to the changes a young salmon goes through.The smolt need food such as bugs and water to live.Without water the salmon would die.If the smolt encounter something called a "Hydroeletric dam" there's a risk they could be sucked in the dam and crushed by very powerful turbines.The dam produces electricity for people.The slow lakes behind the dam's dont have alot of oxygen, and dekay the migration for the salmon and attract predators therefor giving the salmon more dangers to face.Some hydroelectric damn have intalled some screens, channels, and other devices to make systems that will help guide young salmon away from the dangerous turbines and safely to the river below the dam. The systems they use are called"juvenile fish bypass systems"







                                              



                                                                    SEA RUN ADULT



Depending on  the species  mature salmon are anywere from 14 inches to five feet in leingth and anyweere from two to 125 in weight.The salmon feed on smaller fish ,shrimp, and squid etc.Salmon have many threats some of them are Orca whales, sea lions, and seals are some of the natural predators that the salmon facce     in the ocean.Humans eat salmon as well.







                                                        SPAWNER STAGE







Once the salmon start heading back to were they were bron so they can spawn the do not eat they use stored fat for a energy source.The distance the salmon need to travel  varies.The average travel distance is about 150 miles. The longest known spawning trip length was from the Bering Sea over to Lake Teslin in Canada, a total distance of about 2,400 miles and a 2,200 foot elevation gain.On the way upstream, the salmon have to face fishermen, fish ladders, waterfalls, and more predators in addition to the challenges they had to faced on their way downstream earlier in their lives. Humans may have also built a few more dams or possibly have increased the river pollution level.Although the salmon do not usually feed on their journey upstream, they can be caught by very skillfully presented fishing tackle. In more clear water, where the salmon can be seen, it is not uncommon for a fisherman to show the fish his lure many  times before attracting the fish's interest enough to take the bait.